Alive and Remembered
by Riflow
Summary: Could it be that the lone wolf was going to return to the pack? -Roxas oneshot-


Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. Square Enix owns all mentioned characters. Enjoy! :)

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><p>Proud and solitary.<p>

Standing alone makes a person _feel _strong. It gives them the chance to worry only about themselves and nobody else, to teach themselves that being alone is not a punishment; a sense of self-authority. Though, it does not makes them _look _strong. Loneliness is a scary thought for many. But not for him. This boy, this lone wolf, is not thwarted by seclusion or isolation. In fact, he embraces it. Being alone gives him time to think, to bury himself deep within his thoughts and return with the realisation that he is his own being...and that the world is changing around him.

People are moving on in life, getting jobs, starting families, whilst he chooses to stay wrapped in the safe, harmless arms of childhood. He does not want to grow up because he knows that growing up leads to maturity, to aging until, in the end, death. It takes leadership to face your fears, but it takes friendship to conquer them. Maybe he fears death more because he has not got friendship to back him up? Or is he just blind to what he already has?

Blind and worried.

People claim to be his friends. The act like they care, but on the inside, he knows that they are just taking pity on him. Anybody who sees him all think the same thing; they think things like, _'Why is he always on his own?'_ or _'Where does he think he's going to get, being alone all the time?' _The truth was, he didn't want to go any_where_ with any_one_. He was afraid that they would leave, like his family did one day. Gone, leaving no trace of their whereabouts. He felt like a disease, a parasite, like whoever gets close to him will suffer and wither away into nothingness. Hayner, Pence, Olette...they will leave one day. They have already showed signs of lagging, especially Hayner, who was once his best friend; Or so he claimed to be.

Whenever he was around them, he felt out of place. They were always so happy, so carefree, so _alive_. He always just sat there idly, ice cream stick hanging lax from his lips, staring at the floor. He couldn't even taste the flavour, like his own taste buds had abandoned him, too. His deep blue eyes flicker up to lock with the other blond boy's brown orbs, only to snap them away as soon as his 'best friend' showed any sign of emotion towards the lone wolf.

After ruffling his blond mane, the boy would wave a shy goodbye and leave hurriedly, sighing as he would step out into the eternal sun that dominated Twilight Town, feeling an overwhelming wave of nausea sweep over him. He didn't deserve to be worried about, he told himself. But he was beginning to believe that they really did care for him, because if they didn't, then wouldn't they have told him to leave the Usual Spot by now? These thoughts were swimming around in the back of his mind like hungry sharks, waiting for their next meal, razor-sharp teeth at the ready. As soon as another positive thought would enter his mind, they would devour it, leaving nothing but an empty shell of an emotion floating in the dark abyss that was his subconscious.

Knowing that his subconscious held nothing made the boy wonder about and realise something: why he couldn't think too deeply into things such as other people's feeling towards him; because the subconscious holds the key to deep thinking. And like previously stated, his subconscious was prisoner to a gam of wild sharks. But nothing is more powerful than the human mind when under the control of its master. This was to be the boy's triumph.

Wondering and deserved.

Can a person erase their mistakes? Of course they can. Mistakes were only skin deep, whereas friendship goes right down to the bone, where nothing can displace it. The blond isolate was going to try and mend his friendship with his three friends. He could call them friends, because he knew that no matter where he went, no matter what he did, they were always going to be there. Why else would they stay around for all that time if they weren't his friends?

Could it be that the lone wolf was thinking about returning to the pack?

Wolves are known to be highly intelligent creatures, with a good nack for trickery, making the prey fall right into their trap. But he wasn't like that. He may have been quiet - enigmatic, even - but he wasn't a traitor. So, slowly making his way to the Usual Spot, the lone wolf forced himself to press on, preventing himself from turning back. This was it. He was going to ignore everything that his mind kept telling him. _Go back!_ it hissed. _Turn around now and you can still live your life the way you've always wanted - alone, with no obstacles to bring you down and stop your goal of conquering death!_

_There is only one obstacle in my way. __You_.

As he stopped before the three teenagers, he raised his arms slightly, smiling. It was going to be okay. He was back. He wasn't alone anymore, he thought to himself. Hayner had given the blond boy a noogie whilst Olette and Pence were lecturing him on why he should be more open with them, as the three of them were his best friends. Best friends...

_Besides_, he thought. _I'll take death in my stride. As long as I have my friends, I've nothing to fear._

As the four best friends sat atop the infamous Clock Tower, eating sea salt ice cream, the boy could taste it. He felt alive, for the first time in ages. He could smell the fresh air, he could see the sparkling horizon of the beach some miles away. He felt as if nothing could overcome him as long as he had his friends with him...

...Roxas felt happy again.

Alive and remembered.


End file.
